Join prolific polymath Clifford Pickover as he explores 250 of the most intriguing medical milestones from 10,000 B.C. to modern times.
Along with odd and perplexing marvels like prehistoric skull trepanation and using cocaine as a local anesthetic,
Pickover's timeline covers such engaging and diverse topics as the Hippocratic Oath, biological weapons, human cloning, general
anesthesia, face transplants, near-death experiences, the placebo effect, alternative medicine, and the role of war and violence
in accelerating the pace of medical understanding. Here also are remarkable thinkers who influenced the course of medicine,
including French surgeon Ambroise Paré (one of the most celebrated surgeons of the European Renaissance)
and Austrian physician Sigmund Freud (who pioneered psychoanalysis).

Chronologically organized, each entry consists of a short summary and one or more stunning full-color images,
while the "Notes and Further Reading" section provides resources for more in-depth study.
"For me," writes Pickover, "medicine cultivates a perpetual state of wonder about the limits of
biology and the workings of the tissues and cells-and provides hope that most of the horrific health ravages
of humankind will one day be a thing of the past."

Clifford A. Pickover is a prolific author, having published
more than forty books, translated into over a dozen languages, on topics ranging from science
and mathematics to religion, art, and history. He received his PhD from Yale University's Department
of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, holds over 100 U.S. patents, and is an associate editor
for several scientific journals. His research has received considerable attention from media outlets ranging
from CNN and WIRED to The New York Times, and his website, www.pickover.com, has received millions of visits.

House vs Grey's Anatomy vs ER

Which TV show do you like better: House or Grey's Anatomy?
Do medical dramas like "Grey's Anatomy" or "House M.D." reflect health care's reality?
Click the image above to find out.

The Human Body by Cornelius De Witt

When I was a little boy in second grade,
I stumbled upon The Human Body in a pile of books
in a store. My mom bought it for me.
The illustrations in this book, published around 1960, were all created by
Cornelius De Witt.
This book kick-started my interest in
science and the human body.

Anatomical Art of Alex Grey

Anatomical Art by Norrit

My favorite creative representation of human anatomy is by Norrit at Worth1000.

Larry King, Britney Spears, and Cryonics

Larry King and Britney Spears are among the newest converts to cryonics and the religion of the deep freeze.
Cryonics is discussed in The Medical Book.
Pictured here are the former US television talk show host Larry King with his wife Shawn.